Don “The Snake” Prudhomme in his Barracuda. Tom “The Mongoose” McEwen in his Duster. The “Snake vs. Mongoose” racing feud had been making headlines long before they got their Funny Cars, but it wasn’t until they made a deal with Mattel that drag racing became the multimillion-dollar business that it is today. Happily co-opted by Mattel, the rivalry described in
Snake vs. Mongoose was nonetheless real. Author Tom Madigan tells the story from the beginning, when engine builder Ed Donovan, with a nod to “The Jungle Book,” dubbed his driver “The Mongoose”--the one creature who could strike faster than a Snake. The book chronicles the bad press, the toe-to-toe standoffs, and some of the best races in drag racing history. And within that story, Madigan captures the transformation of drag racing from the gritty, gut-driven sport of the 60s into the full-fledged money-making machine of our day.
Tom Madigan has been part of the California car culture since the end of World War II. As a journalist, he has covered all kinds of motorsports, but his first love has always been the sport in which he participated: Top Fuel drag racing. Madigan is the author of several books, including Motorbooks\u2019 critically acclaimed Fuel and Guts: The Birth of Top Fuel Drag Racing; Edelbrock: Made in the USA; and Hurricane: The Bob Hannah Story. He resides in Sonora, California, with his extremely patient wife, Darlene.